do video games help problem solving skills

Playing these 6 video games could help improve your problem-solving skills

Jane McGonigal , a world-renowned designer of alternate-reality games who has a Ph.D. in performance studies, wants to change people's conception of video games as " just escapist, guilty pleasures."

" My number one goal in life is to see a game designer nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize," McGonigal writes on her website . 

She tells Business Insider she wants people to realize that games can be "powerful tools to improve our attention, our mood, our cognitive strengths, and our relationships."

And research is on her side. 

Studies suggest that mainstream games like "Call of Duty" may improve our cognitive abilities significantly more than games specifically designed to do so by designers like Luminosity.

To help spread the truth about common misconceptions, seven neuroscientists from around the world signed the document "A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community" in 2014 to say they "object to the claim" that brainteaser games can improve cognitive abilities, as no scientific evidence has been able to confirm such a claim. 

Even better for gamers, research from North Carolina State University and Florida State University suggests that mainstream games geared toward entertainment can help improve attention, spatial orientation, and problem-solving abilities.

In her book, " Super Better ," McGonigal writes that the researchers she talked to about this seeming contradiction offered a simple explanation: "Traditional video games are more complex and harder to master, and they require that the player learn a wider and more challenging range of skills and abilities."

If you want to have fun and stimulate your mind, McGonigal recommends playing one of these six games three times a week for about 20 minutes.

McGonigal says playing fast-paced games like "Call of Duty," a first-person shooter game, can help improve visual attention and spatial-intelligence skills, which can lead to better performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Another fast-paced game, "Forza," a car-racing game, may help improve your ability to make accurate decisions under pressure.

Taking on the role of a criminal in a big city in "Grand Theft Auto" may help train you to process information faster and keep track of more information — up to three times the amount as nongamers, some studies suggest — in high-stress situations.

Strategic games like "StarCraft," a military-science-fiction game, can also improve the ability to solve imaginary and real-life problems, possibly because they teach users to both formulate and execute strategic plans.

Games that require strategic thinking, like science-fiction third-person-shooter game "Mass Effect," also test and refine your information-gathering skills.

Lastly, "thinking games" like "Final Fantasy," a fantasy-role-playing game, can help train you to evaluate your options faster and more accurately.

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Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds

February 2014, Vol 45, No. 2

Print version: page 10

Playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost children's learning, health and social skills, according to a review of research in American Psychologist .

The study comes out as debate continues among psychologists and other health professionals regarding the effects of violent media on youth. An APA task force is conducting a comprehensive review of research on violence in video games and interactive media and will release its findings later this year.

"Important research has already been conducted for decades on the negative effects of gaming, including addiction, depression and aggression, and we are certainly not suggesting that this should be ignored," says Isabela Granic, PhD, of Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands, lead author of the article. "However, to understand the impact of video games on children's and adolescents' development, a more balanced perspective is needed."

While one widely held view maintains that playing video games is intellectually lazy, such play actually may strengthen a range of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception, according to several studies reviewed in the article. This is particularly true for shooter video games, which are often violent, the authors found. A 2013 meta-analysis found that playing shooter video games improved a player's capacity to think about objects in three dimensions just as well as academic courses designed to enhance these same skills, according to the study.

"This has critical implications for education and career development, as previous research has established the power of spatial skills for achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," Granic says.

This enhanced thinking was not found when playing other types of video games, such as puzzles or role-playing games.

Playing video games may also help children develop problem-solving skills, the authors said. The more adolescents reported playing strategic video games, such as role-playing games, the more they improved in problem solving and school grades the following year, according to a long-term study published in 2013. Children's creativity was also enhanced by playing any kind of video game, including violent games, but not when the children used other forms of technology, such as a computer or cell phone, other research revealed.

Simple games that are easy to access and can be played quickly, such as "Angry Birds," can improve players' moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety, the study said. "If playing video games simply makes people happier, this seems to be a fundamental emotional benefit to consider," said Granic. The authors also highlighted the possibility that video games are effective tools for learning resilience in the face of failure. By learning to cope with ongoing failures in games, the authors suggest that children build emotional resilience they can rely upon in their everyday lives.

Another stereotype the research challenges is the socially isolated gamer. More than 70 percent of gamers play with a friend, and millions of people worldwide participate in massive virtual worlds through video games such as "Farmville" and "World of Warcraft," the article noted. Multiplayer games become virtual social communities, where decisions need to be made quickly about whom to trust or reject and how to lead a group, the authors said. People who play video games, even if they are violent, that encourage cooperation are more likely to be helpful to others while gaming than those who play the same games competitively, a 2011 study found.

— Lisa Bowen

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Video games can change your brain for the better

"Video games are played by the overwhelming majority of our youth more than three hours every week, but the beneficial effects on decision-making abilities and the brain are not exactly known," says Mukesh Dhamala. "Our work provides some answers on that." (Credit: Getty Images )

You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license.

Frequent players of video games show superior sensorimotor decision-making skills and enhanced activity in key regions of the brain as compared to non-players, according to a recent study.

The authors, who used functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) in the study, say the findings suggest that video games could be a useful tool for training in perceptual decision-making.

“Video games are played by the overwhelming majority of our youth more than three hours every week, but the beneficial effects on decision-making abilities and the brain are not exactly known,” says lead researcher Mukesh Dhamala, associate professor in Georgia State University’s physics and astronomy department and the university’s Neuroscience Institute.

“Our work provides some answers on that,” Dhamala says. “Video game playing can effectively be used for training—for example, decision-making efficiency training and therapeutic interventions —once the relevant brain networks are identified.”

Dhamala was the adviser for Tim Jordan, the lead author of the paper, who offered a personal example of how such research could inform the use of video games for training the brain.

Jordan, who received a PhD in physics and astronomy from Georgia State in 2021, had weak vision in one eye as a child. As part of a research study when he was about 5, he was asked to cover his good eye and play video games as a way to strengthen the vision in the weak one. Jordan credits video game training with helping him go from legally blind in one eye to building strong capacity for visual processing, allowing him to eventually play lacrosse and paintball. He is now a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA.

The new research project involved 47 college-age participants, with 28 categorized as regular video game players and 19 as non-players.

The subjects laid inside an FMRI machine with a mirror that allowed them to see a cue immediately followed by a display of moving dots. Participants were asked to press a button in their right or left hand to indicate the direction the dots were moving, or resist pressing either button if there was no directional movement.

The researchers found that video game players were faster and more accurate with their responses.

Analysis of the resulting brain scans found that the differences were correlated with enhanced activity in certain parts of the brain.

“These results indicate that video game playing potentially enhances several of the subprocesses for sensation, perception, and mapping to action to improve decision-making skills,” the authors write. “These findings begin to illuminate how video game playing alters the brain in order to improve task performance and their potential implications for increasing task-specific activity.”

The study also notes there was no trade-off between speed and accuracy of response—the video game players were better on both measures.

“This lack of speed-accuracy trade-off would indicate video game playing as a good candidate for cognitive training as it pertains to decision-making,” the authors write.

The paper appears in the journal Neuroimage: Reports .

Source: Georgia State University

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Your Gaming Skills Can Help You Shape Your Career

• Igor Tulchinsky

Video games are fast-moving, dynamic, and anything but static. Your career can be too.

Studies have shown the benefits of gaming — whether it’s better spatial awareness, faster cognitive processing, or improved mental health, social skills, and decision-making capabilities. Here are some ways you can harness the unique skills and lessons gaming has taught you to shape your future working life.

• Don’t settle. Video games are fast-moving, dynamic, and anything but static. Your career should be too. Every job requires some combination of problem-solving, strategy, and teamwork — just like every video game. But not every company you encounter will be as solutions-oriented, innovative, or collaborative as you might desire. Aim to find an organization that will value you and your skills.
• Challenge your beliefs. How often have you written off a video game before even playing it? We all have internal biases that can alter our perception of the world. The same is true for our careers — you likely have personal beliefs about certain companies, industries, and job titles. Just like you shouldn’t judge a game by its popular presentation, you shouldn’t with jobs either. Instead, take the time to speak to people on the inside.
• Try again. Fail again. Fail better. We’re often too afraid to fail in real life because we believe we won’t get a second chance. In some ways, that’s true — there are no extra lives here. But just like in video games, we can test hypotheses, experiment, process variables, and establish new ways of understanding our world.
• Have patience. Video games can be repetitive. The same can be said for work, and our lives in general. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The patience and hard work are what make the glorious cut scenes, rare achievements, and final fights worth it. In your career, the work you put in now will pay off long-term, too.
• Think like a creator. Game developers often employ transformational creativity. This is when designers, often drawing on leaps forward in technology, drive revolutionary changes in the entire video game ecosystem. One way to cultivate transformational creativity in your work life is to embrace adjacency. If you’re struggling to come up with new ideas or find yourself making the same errors when addressing a task, try thinking about how other, adjacent disciplines might approach a similar problem.

Growing up in the golden age of video games, it was hard not to feel like you were living two lives at once.

• IT Igor Tulchinsky is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of WorldQuant, LLC, a global quantitative asset management firm. He was previously a portfolio manager at Millennium.

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The Real Benefits of Video Games

Online games can foster genuine psychological benefits and feelings of community, experts say.

In some corners of culture, the long-held stereotype of gamers as socially maladjusted loners still persists. And when the social potential of gaming is acknowledged, it’s still brushed off as an inferior substitution to “real” human connection.

“Online games have been historically portrayed as what people in research call pseudo-communities,” said Dr. Rachel Kowert, the research director of the nonprofit  Take This , who studies the psychological effects of video games.

“The value of the social connections are assumed to be somehow less than the value of the social connections that we have in face-to-face interactions,” Kowert added. “But if you look at the research, that’s actually not true.”

More on Gaming 47 Gaming Companies You Need to Know

Benefits of Playing Video Games

Gamers have many different reasons for playing. According to a 2023 Entertainment Software Association (ESA) report , some of the top reasons people play video games are to have fun , pass time and de-stress. Whatever motivations gamers have, many of them are able to tap into gaming’s benefits.   

Increases Social Connection  

Along with researchers from Edge Hill University and University of York, Kowert studied more than 700 players of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). The sample ranged from gamers who played as little as one hour per week to those who played 30 or more. The team found that MMO engagement correlated to a stronger sense of social identity , or how people self-identify based on their affiliation to groups, which corresponded with higher self-esteem, more social competence and lower levels of loneliness .

“It seemed to be quite a positive thing for the games we surveyed, which were all online multiplayer gamers,” said Dr. Linda Kaye, a senior lecturer in psychology at Edge Hill who specializes in cyberpsychology and co-authored the study.

It was positive both individually and in terms of a broader social connection. “Gamers often report that that common interest in itself can actually build friendships and relationships — so that common focus can be really important socially,” Kaye said.

There’s a growing body of other relevant research as well. Kowert edited a collection called  Video Games and Well-Being: Press Start , in which authors incorporate a variety of academic research to explore the psychological benefits, including connectedness, of gaming.

“When talking about how games can be socially valuable, there is a lot of research that specifically found reductions in loneliness and depression, and that it’s particularly valuable for people who are geographically isolated,” Kowert said.

Online, game-rooted friendships “are as real as any offline friendships,” Kowert said, “and they shouldn’t be discredited just because they’re mediated through technology.” 

Supports Cognitive Skills

If you’ve ever wondered if games like Animal Crossing or Mario Kart can help contribute to cognitive development , the answer is yes. 

In a  study of 2,217 children published in 2022, researchers found that cognitive performance, specifically in tasks related to memory and response inhibition, was better among children who played video games for around 21 hours a week compared to those who didn’t play any video games. 

And according to a  2013 study , video games can help improve problem-solving skills . This is especially true for open-world, mission-based games structured around completing many smaller tasks and puzzles to achieve a greater goal in the game. A 2024 Pew Research study has reinforced this finding, with 56 percent of teen respondents saying that video games have strengthened their problem-solving skills as well. 

Gaming is good for your brain’s gray matter, the outer layer of brain tissue that contributes to motor skills, memory and emotional response.  One study from 2015 compared gamers who had reached expert levels in action-based video games with novice players. The researchers found that expert players had increased volumes of gray matter and greater functional connectivity.  

Improves Mental Health

It was once common to think that video games weren’t good for your mental health, and this belief still persists . But that notion is changing too. 

A 2014 paper published in Frontiers of Psychology found a link between gaming and improved mental health . 

“We propose that video games, by their very nature, have design elements aligned with attributes of well-being, and that playing video games can provide opportunities for flourishing mental health,” the paper’s authors wrote. 

People who regularly play video games may experience decreased levels of stress too. A  2009 study found that casual video gaming created changes in brain activity consistent with improved mood and less avoidant behavior.

The aforementioned 2023 ESA study confirms these findings, revealing that 71 percent of people feel less stressed when playing video games, 61 percent feel less anxious and 58 percent feel less isolated or lonely.

More on Gaming and Culture What Does the Future of Gaming Look Like?

Video Games and Screen Time for Children  

Not all digital interactions are created equal. Gaming with others is a shared activity — the sense of a common goal or communal competition — that fosters friendships in a way that scrolling through a newsfeed might not. “Think of it like team sports,” Kowert said. “There’s a difference between playing soccer with friends and having coffee with friends. You’re building camaraderie and close ties.”

That may be a consideration as parents struggle with whether to moderate screen time . Research out of the  Oxford Internet Institute has notably cast doubt on several longstanding video-gaming concerns, including the notion of gaming disorder, the idea that  violent games promote aggression and the worry that screen time diminishes well-being among young people. There is “little evidence for substantial negative associations between digital-screen engagement ... and adolescent well-being,”  researchers wrote .

That study is not without its critics, including psychologist and iGen author Jean Twenge, who  found conflicting results using the same data . And the authors themselves  admitted “we don’t understand fully the impact of big tech on our society.”

Also, it comes back to habits, Kaye said, by way of a food analogy. “We don’t talk about eating time or food time, but there are many healthy eating behaviors and many unhealthy behaviors,” she said. “So when we talk about screen time generally, it seems a bit nonsensical to not distinguish between healthy and unhealthy.”

But recent research leans more toward the findings of the Oxford Internet Institute. A University of Houston study followed the video game habits of 160 pre-teen students in urban public schools, measuring their performance on a cognitive ability test. The study found that playing video games had no impact on the students’ cognitive abilities, regardless of the type of video game they played and how long they played.

No one is confusing Fortnite with  edtech , but online social games would seem to have some leg up. “Anything where you’re actively engaging, preferably with other people in a healthy way, is going to be the healthiest kind of screen time behavior,” Kaye added.

Recommended Reading Artificial Intelligence in Gaming (and 11 AI Games to Know)

How to Get Started with Social Online Video Games  

There’s no doubt that video game usage is surging . But are there any online games that are particularly well suited to maximize social engagement? Do any have particularly welcoming communities ? And are there any platforms that don’t require hefty console investments?

Steam is one to consider, Kowert said. The online gaming platform doesn’t require a console, holds regular flash sales and includes a chat function that players can use to connect even if they’re not immersed in the same gaming universe. “You don’t have to be playing the same games together, but you still have that feeling of connection and communication,” Kowert said.

There’s always the console in your hand too. “There are many free-to-play mobile games that are also emotionally connecting, games like Words With Friends ,” Kowert said. And racing side-scrollers are also a good way to play with either strangers or friends, Kaye said.

As for non-mobile games, Kowert points to Minecraft , the beloved, all-ages sandbox bestseller, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons . She also recommends Stardew Valley , the indie-phenom farming simulator , which unveiled a co-op feature in 2018. “If you just want to play with someone who maybe lives on the other side of the city, but you can’t see right now, that’s a good option,” Kowert said.

Of course, simply firing up Fortnite won’t instantaneously transform those who might feel lonely into online social butterflies. “Some players can be in social environments and still not interact much with others,” said Kaye, pointing to  a 2006 research paper that explored the “alone together” phenomenon in MMOs.

But in extremely online times, we might as well try all the help we can get. “It’s about finding alternative ways of keeping [face-to-face] connections and conversations going,” Kaye said, “and using more creative virtual ways to do so.”  

Frequently Asked Questions

How can video games benefit communities.

In a 2023 global survey , the Entertainment Software Association found that video games reduce feelings of stress, anxiety and isolation among users. Gaming’s positive impact on people’s mental health and the spaces it provides for people to connect with each other online can then lead to healthier communities overall.

Can video games help your social life?

A 2024 Pew Research study found that nearly half of U.S. teens say video games have helped them make friends online and maintain their current friendships. Video games can then serve as a way to broaden your social network and sustain existing relationships, especially if you’re unable to visit people in person.

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Can Video Gameplay Improve Undergraduates’ Problem-Solving Skills?

Benjamin emihovich.

University of Michigan - Flint, Flint, USA

Nelson Roque

Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA

Justin Mason

University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

In this study, the authors investigated if two distinct types of video gameplay improved undergraduates’ problem-solving skills. Two groups of student participants were recruited to play either a roleplaying video game (World of Warcraft; experimental group) or a brain-training video game (CogniFit; control group). Participants were measured on their problem-solving skills before and after 20 hours of video gameplay. Two measures were used to assess problem-solving skills for this study, the Tower of Hanoi and The PISA Problem Solving Test. The Tower of Hanoi measured the rule application component of problem-solving skills and the PISA Problem Solving test measured transfer of problem-solving skills from video gameplay to novel scenarios on the test. No significant differences were found between the two groups on either problem-solving measure. Implications for future studies on game- based learning are discussed.

Introduction

Video games are played by more than half of the U.S population and the video game industry generated $36 billion in 2018 ( ESA, 2018 ). Given the popularity and success of the video game industry, game- based scholars are exploring how well-designed video games can be used to improve a wide range of knowledge, skills, and abilities referred to as game-based learning (GBL). Proponents of GBL argue that well-designed video games are grounded by active participation and interaction as the focal point of the learner experience and can lead to changes in behavior and cognition ( Ifenthaler, Eseryel, & Ge, 2012 ; Shute et al., 2019 ). Moreover, well-designed video games immerse players in environments that can provide a framework for learning experiences by promoting engagement and transfer from simulated worlds to the natural world ( Dede, 2009 ).

Current American students are not receiving adequate exposure to authentic ill-structured problem-solving scenarios in their classrooms, and schools need to address the acquisition of problem-solving skills for students in the 21st century ( Shute & Wang, 2016 ). American students trail their international counterparts in problem-solving skills on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Problem Solving Test. Furthermore, American business leaders complain about recent college graduates’ lack of problem-solving skills. Two surveys conducted by the Association of American Colleges and Universities of business leaders and students indicated that problem-solving skills are increasingly desirable for American employers, but only 38% of employers reported that recently hired American college graduates could analyze and solve complex problems while working ( Hart Associates, 2018 ).

Researchers of video game studies find that gameplay can be positively associated with the improvement of problem-solving skills ( Shute, Ventura, & Ke, 2015 ; Spires et al., 2011 ). However, current discourse in the field of gameplay and problem-solving skills centers primarily on descriptive research ( Eseryel et al., 2014 ) which can be summarized based on the following premise: video games require players to solve problems, and over time, playing video games will lead to improved problem- solving skills ( Hung & Van Eck, 2010 ). Descriptive research is important to argue that video games support problem-solving skills, but further empirical research is needed to demonstrate whether problem-solving skills are acquired through video gameplay. This research study addressed whether two distinct types of video gameplay empirically affects undergraduates’ problem-solving skills.

Video Games and Problem-Solving Skills

According to Mayer and Wittrock’s (2006) definition, problem solving includes four central characteristics: (1) occurs internally to the problem solver’s cognitive system; (2) is a process that involves conceptualizing and manipulating knowledge; (3) is goal directed; and (4) is dependent on the knowledge and skills of the problem solver to establish the difficulty in which obstacles must be overcome to reach a solution. Unlike the well-structured problems that students face in formal learning settings, well-designed games provide students with challenging scenarios that promote problem-solving skills by requiring players to generate new knowledge from challenging scenarios within interactive environments, while also providing immersive gameplay that includes ongoing feedback for the players to hone their problem-solving skills over time ( Van Eck, Shute, & Rieber, 2017 ). Rules govern video gameplay mechanics and one component of problem solving is the ability to apply existing rules in the problem space known as rule application ( Shute et al., 2015 ). One example of a rule application is found in the well-researched problem-solving puzzle the Tower of Hanoi ( Huyck & Kreivenas, 2018 ; Schiff & Vakil, 2015 ; TOH, 2019 ). The rule application component of problem-solving skill is one of the dependent variables in this study. Rule application refers to the problem-solver’s representation of the problem space through direct action, which is critical to problem solving ( Van Eck et al., 2017 ).

Literature Review

Video gameplay and transfer.

Researchers contend that the hidden power of well-designed video games is their potential to address higher-level learning, like retention, transfer, and problem-solving skills ( Gee, 2008 ; Shute & Wang, 2015 ). Retention is the ability to remember the presented information and correctly recall it when needed, while transfer is the ability to apply previously learned information in a novel situation ( Stiller & Schworm, 2019 ). Possible outcomes of playing video games may include the improvement of collaborative problem-solving skills, confidence, and leadership skills that are transferable to the workforce environment. Recent research on video game training studies and transfer of cognitive and noncognitive skills indicates that gameplay is positively associated with the improvement of attention, problem-solving skills, persistence ( Green & Bavelier, 2012 ; Rowe et al., 2011 ; Shute et al., 2015 ; Ventura et al., 2013 ), executive functions ( Oei & Patterson, 2014 ), and hypothesis testing strategies ( Spires et al., 2011 ). However, other researchers have found null effects of video gameplay and transfer of cognitive skills ( Ackerman, et al., 2010 ; Baniqued, Kranz, et al., 2013 ; Boot et al., 2008 ).

A recent meta-analysis of brain-training interventions found that brain-training interventions can improve performance on trained tasks but there were fewer examples of interventions indicating improved performance on closely related tasks, and minimal evidence that training enhances performance on daily cognitive abilities ( Simons et al., 2016 ). Among those finding null effects, questions were raised about the methodological shortcomings of video game training and transfer studies that are common pitfalls in experimental trials. Some of the pitfalls included failing to report full methods used in a study and lack of an effective active control condition that can expect to see similar improvement in competencies as the experimental group ( Baniqued et al., 2013 ; Boot, 2015 ; Boot, Blakely & Simons, 2011 ). Unless researchers define recruitment methods for participants and their gaming expertise (novice vs. expert), as well as compare active control groups with experimental groups receiving equal training games, then differential improvement is indeterminable ( Boot et al., 2013 ; Shute et al., 2015 ). The recruitment approach is outlined in the Method section.

Motivation for Selection of Games

The video games selected for this research study were based on the problem-solving skills players exercise and acquire through gameplay that were aligned with the problem-solving skills assessed on the external measures, the PISA Problem Solving Test and the Tower of Hanoi (TOH). Well-designed video games include sound learning principles embedded within gameplay such as requiring players to solve complex problems which can then be applied to other learning contexts ( Lieberman et al., 2014 ). In this study, the authors examined the effects of playing World of Warcraft ( Activision Blizzard, 2019 ) and CogniFit ( CogniFit, 2019 ) for twenty hours on undergraduates’ problem-solving skills (rule application and problem-solving transfer). The inclusion of CogniFit addresses a main concern of game-based research which is the lack of an active control condition to determine differential improvement ( Boot et al., 2013 ).

Problem-Solving and Video Gameplay Model

The authors have identified observable in-game behaviors (i.e., indicators) during gameplay that provide evidence for each of the problem-solving processes on the PISA Problem Solving Test. The process included playing each video game extensively, checking community forums for solutions to the most challenging problems for each game, and viewing experts’ gameplay video channel streams on YouTube. After generating a list of credible indicators, those selected were based on the following criteria: (a) relevance to the PISA problem solving levels of proficiency and (b) verifiable through gameplay mechanics. Examples of indicators for the PISA problem-solving processes for each game are listed in Tables 1 and ​ and2. 2 . The purpose of developing the problem-solving behavior model is to operationalize the indicators of gameplay that align with the cognitive processes being assessed on the PISA test (i.e., Exploring and Understanding, Representing and Formulating). The PISA Problem Solving Test contains questions representing six levels of proficiency: Level 1 is the most limited form of problem-solving ability such as rule application (solving problems with simple rules or constraints) and Level 6 is the complex form of problem-solving ability (executing strategies and developing mental models to solve problems). The PISA test will determine whether there is transfer of problem-solving skills from video gameplay to novel scenarios.

Examples of indicators for each PISA problem-solving process in Warcraft

Examples of indicators for each PISA problem-solving process in CogniFit

World of warcraft

Massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) require players to manage resources, adapt playstyle to the environment, test new skills and abilities, identify and apply rules to solve problems as well as explore the story of the game through questing. MMORPGs like Warcraft provide gameplay experiences that are analogous to meaningful instruction by offering complex multifaceted problems that require model-based reasoning—understanding interrelated components of a system, and feedback mechanisms among the components to find the best solutions to problems that arise using available tools and resources in a given environment ( Chinn & Malhotra, 2002 ; Steinkuehler & Chmiel, 2006 ). Therefore, if MMORPGs provide an authentic sense of inquiry into solving problems through gameplay, then it is worth testing whether these gameplay experiences transfer to novel problem-solving scenarios.

One specific example of transfer from gameplay in the MMORPG Warcraft to a natural context concerns the problem of reducing travel time. When players enter the game environment, they must account for extended travel time between different activities such as exploration, questing, and combat. To solve this problem, players are given a tool that can be accessed on their user interface by pressing (M) on their keyboard, which opens the map. Listed on the map are designated flight paths (FPs) that act as a taxi service for players. The image in Figure 1 indicates the various FPs a player has unlocked on their world map as well as those that have yet to be discovered ( Activision Blizzard, 2019 ). The flight path is a handy tool because it connects the goal of completing quests as soon as possible to earn rewards with the knowledge that using flight paths greatly reduces travel time between quests. Greatly reducing travel time results in a more efficient way to complete many of the sub goals in the game, and as noted by Shute and Wang (2016) the use of tools and resources efficiently is an important part of problem solving during gameplay.

Player map listing flight path locations in World of Warcraft (2019)

Now, consider one of the questions being assessed on an external measure in the study, the PISA Problem Solving Test. Individuals are given a map that shows the roads between each city, a partially filled-in key that shows distances between cities in kilometers, and the overall layout of the area. The purpose of this question is to assess how individuals calculate the shortest distance from one city to another. To solve the problem, individuals are required to calculate the distance between the two cities of Nuben and Kado using the resources available. This is the same kind of problem that Warcraft players experience during gameplay when travelling between locations to complete quests. Both problem scenarios share the same overlapping components, the ability of the problem solver to use given tools and resources efficiently to find the most direct route that reduces travel time between two separate locations. Figure 2 illustrates this problem scenario on the PISA test ( OECD, 2003 ).

Problem scenario for planning the best route for a trip from PISA (2003)

The brain training game CogniFit claims to have developed a patented system that measures, trains, and monitors cognitive skills like rule application, attention, memory, and visual perception and their relation to neurological pathologies. According to the CogniFit (2019) website the company states there are transfer effects from their mini games to problem solving in the natural world. The brain training game is selected as an active control condition based on this claim as well as repeated practice of rule application embedded into the gameplay experience.

One example of rule application in the brain training game CogniFit occurs in the mini-game Gem Breaker 3D. This mini-game requires players to direct a paddle back and forth across the screen to bounce a ball off the paddle that breaks the gem blocks without letting the ball touch the bottom of the screen. The initial tutorial informs players that improvement of their hand-eye coordination and processing speed skills are emphasized through gameplay with over 100 levels available to master. Feedback is provided to players with a score for each level showing where they can improve. Once all gem blocks are broken the level is completed and a new level begins. However, each player only has access to 4 balls for each level, and if they lose, the game reverts to the beginning. The tutorial shows players how to use the mouse to control the paddle back and forth across the screen while the spacebar launches the ball. Once a gem is broken there is a chance for a power-up to be gained such as shooting multiple balls, explosives, missiles, side quests or power-ups. Figure 3 illustrates the rules of the mini-game in Gem Breaker 3D ( CogniFit, 2019 ).

Rules for the mini-game Gem Breaker 3D listed in the initial tutorial (2019)

Rule application occurs when playing the TOH and requires one to move an entire stack of disks (i.e., a number between 3 and 8) of varied sizes from one of three rods to another. While playing, players are constrained by the following rules: (1) only one disk can be moved at a time; (2) no disk can be placed on a smaller one; (3) only the uppermost disk can be moved on a stack. Rule application is demonstrated by the problem solver in the TOH by configuring the disks and the rods to reach a solution in the problem space. By configuring the disks onto the rods, each move of a disk indicates the problem solver attempting to creatively apply the rules, which is vital to problem solving ( Shute et al., 2019 ). Figure 4 illustrates the problem space in an online version of the TOH (2019) .

Problem space in an online version of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle with 5 disks (2019)

Both video games require players to apply rules to solve problems and rule application is a component of problem solving ( Van Eck et al., 2017 ). As an example, Warcraft players learn that they can only cast certain spells in combat while standing still or that eating and drinking food while sitting down hastens the regeneration of health. Similarly, when playing the mini-game Gem Breaker 3D in CogniFit players use a paddle and a ball to break bricks. One of the first rules players encounter in the game is that they can only move the paddle left or right across the screen or that bonus bricks have special effects like increasing ball speed. The rules are more explicit in CogniFit than Warcraft so brain-training gameplay may promote better performance on solving the TOH. Each move with the paddle and ball is an example of applying the rules, and this is frequently done during gameplay in CogniFit .

However, CogniFit mini-games lack some of the salient gameplay features in Warcraft such as roleplaying gameplay, meaningful interactions with other players, and richly designed problem spaces that GBL scholars suggest are important to the transfer of problem-solving skills from video gameplay to novel contexts measured on the PISA Problem Solving Test. Warcraft gameplay provides players with repeated practice to solve authentic ill-structured problems in rich detailed problem-solving scenarios that may be better suited for transfer to novel scenarios on the test.

Research Questions

After describing the video gameplay conditions of Warcraft and CogniFit as well as reviewing the literature on problem-solving skills, the authors seek to answer the following research questions:

• Is there a change, from pretest to posttest, on the rule-application component of problem solving, after 20 hours of video gameplay, on either a role playing or brain-training video game?
• Does an immersive, collaborative role-playing video game promote transfer of problem-solving skills to novel scenarios better than a brain-training video game for undergraduates after 20 hours of video gameplay?

Setting and Participants

For this study, 91 undergraduate student participants (M Age = 19.32; SD Age = 1.43) were recruited to participate in this study and completed the initial questionnaire for the study, assessing: age, gender, ethnicity, major, and video games played daily. Participants were not invited to participate if they were not students at the data-collecting institution, were not 18–23 years old, or if they reported playing 30 or more minutes of Warcraft or CogniFit . 56 participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group Warcraft or the control group CogniFit , yet only 34 completed the study ( n = 17 per group). Participant attrition for both groups were attributed to lack of time to complete the study or being too busy with schoolwork. Given the nature of our research questions assessing change as a function of training, subsequently presented analyses only include data from the 34 participants (17 males and 17 females) who completed the study (M Age = 19.44; SD Age = 1.41).

The independent variable in this research study is the video game with two levels: a roleplaying video game ( Warcraft ) and a brain-training video game ( CogniFit ). The video games provide players with repeated problem-solving scenarios requiring players to engage in problem-solving processes. The dependent variable measured for this study is problem-solving skill. One measure assessed the component of rule application of problem solving to solve a puzzle which is the TOH. The second measure assessed problem-solving in novel scenarios which is the PISA Problem Solving Test. Both groups were assessed on the TOH and the PISA Problem Solving Test. The TOH was used to assess research question 1 and the PISA Problem Solving Test was used to assess research question 2.

The Tower of Hanoi

Recall, the TOH is a valid and reliable experimental paradigm that can be used to assess rule application, problem solving and transfer ( Huyck & Kreivenas, 2018 ; Schiff & Vakil, 2015 ). Rule application is demonstrated by the problem solver in the TOH by configuring the disks and the rods to reach a solution in the problem space. By configuring the disks on to the rods, each move of a disk indicates the problem solver attempting to creatively apply the rules. Participants played the TOH on a computer from a free website online. The test score (i.e., lower scores are better) for completing the TOH can range anywhere from 31 (which is the minimal number of moves to execute) until it is solved.

PISA Problem Solving Test

The second external problem-solving measure in this study is the (2003) version of the PISA Problem Solving Test. The PISA Problem Solving Test ( OECD, 2003 ) contains 10 novel problem-solving scenarios, and within each scenario there is a range of one to three different questions that must be solved. There are 19 total questions on the test across all scenarios that required students to solve problems. For this study, participants completed five novel problem-solving scenarios for the pretest and the remaining five novel problem-solving scenarios for the posttest. The levels of proficiency for each question are randomized across all problem-solving scenarios. Each problem-solving scenario is independent from one another and each of the 19 questions across all scenarios being assessed in this study are isomorphic from the questions that were implemented in 2003. The scoring for most questions was either correct or incorrect, with some questions allowing for partially correct answers. Participants that answered each question correctly were awarded one point, while partially correct answers awarded participants a half-point.

Participants for this study were recruited via flyers posted publicly on campus and dormitory bulletin boards. Over the course of eight weeks, participants engaged in 10 gameplay sessions that lasted two hours each. Participants had the opportunity to complete these 10 sessions in two-hour time-blocks that were made available Monday through Friday for eight consecutive weeks. Participants completed the experiment in a classroom lab on campus at the university. In this experiment, student participants were randomly assigned to play one of two video games.

Participants in the experimental condition played the popular roleplaying video game Warcraft that promotes learning new terminologies, mastering interrelated skills and abilities, applying rules to solve problems, goal setting, and reflecting on progress. In addition, participants in the active control condition played the brain-training video game CogniFit (2019) . The video game allows players to select various mini-games including Gem Breaker 3D that may enhance cognitive abilities including rule application, memory, and focus. Student participants in this study were guided by discovery learning and provided with in-game tutorials for each condition while learning to solve problems through active exploration, interacting with the game environment and self-direction ( Westera, 2019 ). At pre-test and post-test participants had 20 minutes to complete isomorphic versions of the TOH as many times as possible. All participants successfully completed the TOH once during the pretest and once during the posttest. At pre-test and post-test, participants also had 20 minutes to complete as many questions as possible on The PISA Problem Solving Test. The pretest required participants to answer nine questions and the posttest required participants to answer 10 questions from multiple problem-based scenarios. Each problem-based scenario was unique, and some examples included the following: (1) calculating the distance between two points given a map; (2) developing a decision tree diagram of a library loan system; and (3) calculating daily energy needs for an individual given a set menu.

Data Structure and Analyses

The full dataset used for all analyses to be presented, contained data from 34 participants. All participants attempted three parallel, computerized forms of the TOH at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Due to the nature of the task’s programming, if participants did not complete a TOH task, the total number of moves attempted was not output to the data file. This will be expanded upon in the results section by utilizing three analyses which included an independent t-test comparing the mean number of incomplete TOH games between the groups, an independent t-test comparing the mean gain score of TOH between the groups, and a multiple linear regression predicting max gain score of TOH by group, by gain score count, and by group, gain score count, and PISA gain. All analyses in sections below were completed in R, version 3.4.3. Packages used for data analysis include: dplyr , for data wrangling ( Wickham et al., 2019 ), and ggplot2 for visualizations ( Wickham, 2016 ), and MASS for stepwise regression analyses ( Venables & Ripley, 2002 ).

Assessing Group differences in Completion

Although groups differed on the overall number of incomplete TOH sessions at pre-testing (N COGNITIVE = 13; N GAMING = 8), an independent t-test of the average number of incomplete games by group, was not significant (p > .05). Furthermore, an independent t-test revealed no group differences for the overall number of incomplete TOH sessions at post-testing (N COGNITIVE = 3; N GAMING = 2; p > .05). A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant time effect, F(1,32) = 13.386, p<.001. However, group, F(1,32) = 1.609, p=.214, nor group by time interaction were significant, F(1,32)=.837, p=.367. On average, participants completed an additional half TOH session (i.e., .47, SD = .53) after receiving either training package (M Pre = .62, SD = .70; M Post = .15, SD = .36). Table 3 shows the means and standard deviations for the pretest and posttest scores participants completed in the experimental ( Warcraft ) and control ( CogniFit ) groups. The mean scores in the table indicate how many moves on average each participant could successfully solve the puzzle per group. For this study, participants had 20 minutes to complete as many questions as possible for the pretest and 20 minutes to do the same for an isomorphic version of the posttest. Table 4 shows the means and standard deviations for the PISA pretest and posttest scores of participants in the experimental ( Warcraft ) and control ( CogniFit ) groups.

Pretest and posttest scores by group on the Tower of Hanoi

Pretest and posttest scores by group on the PISA Problem Solving Test

Quantifying Improvement in Performance

In order to quantify improvement after the intervention, gain scores were calculated by the following formula, for each instance of the TOH task encountered (i.e. three sessions):

Gain scores produced from this calculation can be interpreted as follows: negative gain scores indicating improvement (fewer total moves at post-testing), and positive gain scores indicating a decrement in performance (more total moves at post-testing). As a result of incomplete games not producing the number of moves, for some participants, no gain score calculation was possible. At pretesting, the cognitive training group had three missing gain scores for the second TOH and 10 for the third TOH whereas the game training group had one missing gain score for the second TOH and seven for the third TOH. To account for this, when calculating average gain scores for each participant, averages were weighted by the number of completed games (i.e. averaging by the number of incomplete sessions would result in an undefined calculation, as some participants completed all sessions). Table 5 shows the results of an unpaired t-test on the average weighted gain scores found no group differences in TOH gain scores ( p > .05). Additionally, an unpaired t-test on the average PISA gain scores found no group differences gain scores ( p > .05).

Problem solving performance compared across training groups

Sensitivity Analysis

Due to missing data issues discussed above, the final analysis involves a stepwise multiple linear regression (forward and backward; AIC used for final model variable selection conducted using R package MASS, function stepAIC; Venables & Ripley, 2002 ), predicting max gain score (max of all three potential gain scores) by group membership (WoW or Cognitive Training), total gain score count, and a gain score derived from pre and post measurements on the PISA task (2003). Based on the stepwise regression procedure analysis results in Table 6 , the best fitting, significant, multiple regression model was found to be a model predicting max gain score from gain score count (no predictor for group membership or PISA gain score; F(1,32) = 14.41; p < .001; R 2 = .3104; adjusted R 2 = 0.2889). Participants predicted max gain score is equal to −111.70 + 48.87 (Gain Count), where gain score is in the unit of number of moves. Max gain score increased by 48.87 for every one unit increase in gain score count (more gain scores, closer to 0; less improvement after the intervention). Gain score count was a significant predictor of max gain score (t=3.796; p < 0.001), indicating potential practice effects from repeated exposure to the task. Practice effects will be discussed in subsequent sections.

Stepwise regression model path, analysis of deviance table and the row with the best fitting model, using AIC as criterion, is highlighted in gray

Evidence for Research Question 1

The initial hypothesis regarding the first question was that a brain-training game would help participants improve their rule application component of problem-solving skill better than a roleplaying game after 20 hours of gameplay for several reasons. One reason is that the rules are more explicit during brain-training gameplay and because of claims made by CogniFit that brain-training gameplay will improve its users’ brain fitness or ability to rely on more than one problem-solving strategy. While both games require players to apply rules to solve problems, only CogniFit markets its product as a tool that can help users to solve problems in their daily lives ( CogniFit, 2019 ). This claim also suggests that brain-training gameplay can help users transfer skills learned in-game to novel problem-solving scenarios in the natural world. However, the results indicated that there was no significant difference in gain scores (i.e., in Post - Pre Gain scores) in terms of TOH performance (t-test comparing gain scores: p = .746) between the two gaming conditions (i.e., Warcraft and CogniFit ), though both groups improved from baseline to post-testing assessment, likely attributable to practice effects (see Figure 5 ). Overall, the results contradicted our initial hypothesis for Research Question 1; implications are discussed next.

Average number of moves in the Tower of Hanoi task across (up to 3) sessions per person, per timepoint. The left panel represents scores for the CogniFit (COG) group, and the right panel represents scores for the Warcraft (WOW) group.

Implications of Results for Research Question 1

Solving problems in an immersive game like Warcraft provided players with repeated practice of applying rules and using tools to find creative solutions to similar but varied problems. As players reflected on their choices, they learned how to use the tools by analyzing givens and constraints in unison to achieve maximum character performance and develop optimal solutions to general problems. CogniFit players did not experience immersive gameplay, but instead repeated problem-solving scenarios that were varied but required fewer tools and resources to be solved. Once CogniFit players knew how to use the paddle and the ball in unison, the only additional resources to use during gameplay were power-ups, bonus bricks, and traps. Roleplaying gameplay required players to solve problems using additional tools and resources efficiently which was a more complex task than using the ball and paddle during brain-training gameplay. Strategizing when and how to apply rules through varied but different problem scenarios with multiple tools and resources through immersive gameplay was beneficial for Warcraft participants. Moreover, players in Warcraft could receive feedback with help from other players learning when and how to apply tools and resources to solve problems. CogniFit players received feedback at the end of each level with an overall score and corrected mistakes through trial and error without additional support.

evidence for Research Question 2

The initial hypothesis regarding the second question was that training on an immersive, collaborative roleplaying video game for 20 hours would engender transfer of problem-solving skills to novel problem-solving scenarios on the PISA Problem Solving Test better than a brain-training video game. One reason is that research on MMORPGs including Warcraft indicates that players co-constructed knowledge by challenging and supporting novel ideas to in-game problem-solving scenarios through online discussion forums as well as discovering optimal solutions to in-game problems by combining multiple abilities and resources available to players ( Chinn & Malhotra, 2002 ; Steinkuehler & Chmiel, 2006 ). Efficiently using tools and resources is a component of problem solving and is central to the roleplaying gameplay experience ( Shute & Wang, 2016 ).

However, the results indicated that after 20 hours of gameplay of Warcraft or CogniFit there was no improved performance on the PISA (i.e., comparing PISA Gain Scores; p = .748). Overall, the mean scores for Warcraft participants were slightly better than CogniFit participants on the isomorphic versions of the PISA Problem Solving pretest and posttest - indicating baseline differences between the two groups in terms of performance. Overall, there were no significant differences found between roleplaying and brain-training gameplay on transfer of problem-solving skills (see Figure 6 ). The implications for the results from research question 2 are discussed next.

PISA Scores before and after the intervention. The left panel represents scores for the COG group, and the right panel represents scores for the WOW group.

Implications of Results for Research Question 2

Given that both video game training and “brain-training” did not significantly improve problem-solving skills has several implications. The gameplay behaviors exhibited by players in each condition were aligned with the problem-solving processes on the PISA Problem Solving Test. However, possible reasons for lack of transfer in this study in addition to small sample size include (a) collaborative, immersive roleplaying gameplay may help promote problem-solving skills related to in-game problem solving scenarios but not necessarily to improved performance on external problem-solving assessments, and (b) problem-solving during Warcraft gameplay may be too domain specific to transfer to novel problem-solving scenarios on the PISA Problem Solving Test.

The misalignment between the problem-solving domains of Warcraft and the PISA Problem Solving Test could have hindered the possibility of finding a transfer effect. As an example, Warcraft players must learn how to navigate an immersive environment, use complex tools efficiently and effectively to solve problems during gameplay and interact with both the environment and other characters to solve problems. However, solving problems on the PISA Problem Solving Test is not an immersive experience. It was also a solitary activity; participants did not collaborate or interact with each other while taking the test. The OECD designed the PISA Problem Solving Test to cover more general problem-solving skills to complement domain-specific skills ( Greiff et al., 2014 ). Selecting a problem-solving assessment which is embedded within an immersive environment that requires players to engage in collaborative problem-solving processes (i.e. experienced in video gameplay) using tools and resources efficiently could have been a more viable assessment to measure transfer of problem-solving skills in this study. Further research is still warranted to determine if video gameplay can promote transfer of problem-solving skills to novel scenarios. The limitations of this research study are addressed in the next section.

Limitations

Given time and resource constraints, the sample size of this study is small and lacks statistical significance to make claims regarding the general population. With more available resources, recruitment would have likely continued for an additional semester to raise the sample size for the study. Students that did not complete the study cited time constraints as the main reason they were unable to fulfill the 20 hours of video gameplay requirement. The optimal time to run the study would have been during Fall and Spring semesters instead of Spring and Summer. In Fall and Spring, more students would have been available for recruitment as well as increased scheduling flexibility and time to complete the intervention during the academic year for the participants. Given that the authors monitored participants during video gameplay in case any problems arose, there may have been expectancy effects that impacted participants. For example, participants’ gameplay experiences may have been negatively or positively affected when being monitored. The potential for participants to alter their behavior simply because they are being studied is known as the Hawthorne Effect ( Benedetti, Carlino & Piedimonte, 2016 ). In addition, the inclusion of a more immersive assessment that measures problem-solving skill transfer could have led to improved outcomes when compared to a more traditional assessment like the PISA Problem-Solving Test (2003).

Future Implications

The main goal of this study was to examine the impact of two distinct types of video gameplay; role playing ( Warcraft ) and brain-training ( CogniFit ) on problem-solving skills for undergraduates. Specifically, if video gameplay can improve the rule application component of problem solving and whether problem solving during gameplay transferred to novel problem-solving scenarios. This study addressed some of the methodological shortcomings found in previous video game training and transfer studies that failed to report recruitment methods, define study variables, and provide an active control group in which participants could expect receive equal improvement from competencies ( Baniqued et al., 2013 ; Boot et al., 2013 ). As a result, possible placebo effects are likely mitigated in this experiment improving upon methodological pitfalls affecting other video game training studies ( Anderson et al., 2010 ; Ferguson & Kilburn, 2009 ).

The results from this study suggest that neither a commercially available video game ( Warcraft ) or a commercially available “brain-training” package ( CogniFit ) resulted in improvements in the rule-based component of problem solving (as assessed by the TOH puzzle). Moreover, aside from a lack of improvement in the rule-based component, 20-hours of training did not promote transfer of problem-solving skills to novel scenarios (as assessed by the PISA Problem Solving Task), which is consistent with similar research findings on cognitive training and transfer ( Souders et al., 2017 ). Sensitivity analyses conducted found evidence for practice effects in gain scores, illustrating that rather than improvement due to the training packages, improvement seems related to multiple, closely spaced assessments. Future research can complement this study by increasing the sample size and testing similar immersive well-designed video games on participant knowledge, skills, and abilities, in addition to directly cuing participants to be aware of the strategies (i.e., perceptual and cognitive strategies) they might carry with them from the digital world to the real-world.

Acknowledgment

Nelson Roque was supported by National Institute on Aging Grant T32 AG049676 to The Pennsylvania State University.

Benjamin Emihovich is an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology in the Education Department at the University of Michigan-Flint and is the program faculty coordinator for the online Educational Technology (M.A.) program. He currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the areas of Instructional Design and Technology as well as curriculum and instruction. His research area focuses on the following; game-based learning, assessments for learning in immersive environments, and emerging learning technologies.

Nelson A. Roque is a NIA T32 Postdoctoral Fellow, at Penn State’s Center for Healthy Aging. Nelson earned his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Florida State University in 2018. Nelson has a strong background in visual attention, focusing on how to reliably measure it, how it relates to individual difference factors (e.g., age, sleep) and translating insights from theoretical work in visual attention to applied contexts (e.g. medication errors).

Justin Mason is a Postdoctoral Associate in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Florida. His research interests include interventions suitable for mitigating age-related cognitive and physical decline in older adults. Additionally, he’s interested in factors that influence older adults’ adoption and acceptance of emerging technologies.

Contributor Information

Benjamin Emihovich, University of Michigan - Flint, Flint, USA.

Nelson Roque, Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA.

Justin Mason, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.

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How video games help solve real-world problems faster

How video games help solve real-world problems faster.

Updated July 4, 2024 by David Brooke

You might be an occasional gamer, breaking out the PlayStation, Xbox, or PC when you need to give your brain a break. But did you know that video games help solve real-world problems faster?

As the famous game developer and researcher Jane McGonigal noted in her TED Talk, gamers are out-of-the-box problem solvers. Gamers spend roughly 80% of their time failing while playing video games, and this constant failure fosters resilience and innovative problem-solving skills. The more they fail, the harder they try to correct their failures and complete the task (or mission).

The Potential of Gamers

Game developers such as McGonigal see amazing potential in gamers. With their improved skills and desire to think and solve serious problems, gamers could be a significant asset to humanity.

Benefits of Video Games

Cognitive and social skills.

Video games, including violent shooter games, can boost learning, health, and social skills. According to the American Psychological Association, playing video games can enhance cognitive functions such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory, and perception.

Improving Quality of Life

Research from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development found that playing video games can increase grey matter in the brain, which is associated with muscle control, sensory perception, memory, and decision-making. This improvement in brain structure can enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities or mental illnesses.

Problem-Solving Skills

Learning from mistakes.

In video games, mistakes are immediately evident, allowing players to quickly learn and adapt. This skill translates well to real-world scenarios where learning from errors is crucial.

Deep Practice

Gamers often engage in “deep practice,” repeatedly performing tasks until they succeed. This perseverance and practice are essential for mastering complex real-world problems.

Creative Solutions

Video games encourage players to try different strategies to solve problems, fostering creativity and flexibility. This trial-and-error approach is beneficial in real-world problem-solving where multiple solutions might need to be tested. What also is needing creative solutions is hacking, feel free to read more about that in our article about that as well.

Recognizing When to Pivot

Gamers learn to recognize when a particular strategy isn’t working and when it’s time to try something new. This adaptability is invaluable in dynamic and unpredictable real-world situations.

Enhancing Hand-Eye Coordination

Studies, such as those conducted by the University of Toronto, have shown that gamers perform better in sensorimotor tasks, which involve hand-eye coordination. Games like “Call of Duty” or “Assassin's Creed” can enhance these skills, making video games a potential treatment for improving hand-eye coordination in various populations.

Increased Focus and Cognitive Function

A study in 2014 indicated that playing video games can increase the cortical thickness in the brain, particularly in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-order thinking, such as decision-making and problem-solving.

Benefits for Children

Contrary to the belief that gaming is purely addictive, it has numerous benefits for children, including improved coordination, problem-solving skills, attention and concentration, brain speed, and multitasking abilities. Games require players to make split-second decisions, enhancing their ability to think quickly and efficiently.

Real-World Applications

Educational and training tools.

Games are being used to solve real-world problems, such as in educational settings where they enhance learning and engagement. The InGAME project in Dundee, for example, uses video game design to address issues ranging from obesity to animal health on dairy farms.

Collaborative Problem-Solving

Games like Foldit have shown that collaborative gaming can lead to significant scientific discoveries. Players solved the structure of an enzyme involved in an AIDS-like disease in just three weeks, demonstrating the power of collective problem-solving through gaming.

Video games are more than just entertainment; they are powerful tools for developing skills that can solve real-world problems. From enhancing cognitive and social abilities to improving quality of life and facilitating innovative solutions, gaming holds vast potential for contributing to society in meaningful ways.

For further reading, explore these sources:

• Northrop Grumman's article on gaming technology solving real-world problems
• UKRI's insights on videogame design innovations
• Tap-Repeatedly's discussion on meaningful play

David Brooke has been working with writing challenged clients for over four years. He provides ghost writing, coaching and ghost editing services. His educational background in family science and journalism has given him a broad base from which to approach many topics.

• Mental Health

Are There Mental Health Benefits of Video Games?

There are many misconceptions about video games and the impact they have on mental health. The truth is that video games have many benefits, including developing complex problem-solving skills and promoting social interaction through online gaming. Video games can be a great way to stimulate your mind and improve your mental health. 

Benefits of Video Games

Playing video games has numerous benefits for your mental health. Video games can help you relieve stress and get your mind going. Some benefits include: 

Mental stimulation. Video games often make you think. When you play video games, almost every part of your brain is working to help you achieve higher-level thinking. Depending on the complexity of the game, you may have to think, strategize, and analyze quickly. Playing video games works with deeper parts of your brain that improve development and critical thinking skills.

Feeling accomplished. In the game, you have goals and objectives to reach. Once you achieve them, they bring you a lot of satisfaction, which improves your overall well-being. This sense of achievement is heightened when you play games that give you trophies or badges for certain goals. Trying to get more achievements gives you something to work toward. 

Mental health recovery. Regardless of the type, playing games can help with trauma recovery. Video games can act as distractions from pain and psychological trauma. Video games can also help people who are dealing with mental disorders like anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) , and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Social interaction. Multiplayer and online games are good for virtual social interaction. In fast-paced game settings, you’ll need to learn who to trust and who to leave behind within the game. Multiplayer games encourage cooperation. It’s also a low-stakes environment for you to test out talking to and fostering relationships with new people. 

Emotional resilience. When you fail in a game or in other situations, it can be frustrating. Video games help people learn how to cope with failure and keep trying. This is an important tool for children to learn and use as they get older. 

Despite what people may think, playing video games boosts your mood and has lasting effects. Whether you’re using gaming to spend time with your friends or to release some stress, it's a great option. 

Playing for Your Well-Being

Playing video games has been linked to improved moods and mental health benefits. It might seem natural to think that violent video games like first-person shooters aren’t good for your mental health. However, all video games can be beneficial for different reasons.

Try strategic video games. Role-playing and other strategic games can help strengthen problem-solving skills. There’s little research that says violent video games are bad for your mental health. Almost any game that encourages decision-making and critical thinking is beneficial for your mental health. 

Set limits. Though video games themselves aren’t bad for your mental health, becoming addicted to them can be. Spending too much time gaming can lead to isolation. You may also not want to be around people in the real world. When you start to feel yourself using video games as an escape, you might need to slow down.

If you can’t stop playing video games on your own, you can contact a mental health professional .  

Play with friends. Make game time fun by playing with friends. There are online communities you can join for your favorite games. Moderate gaming time with friends can help with socialization, relaxation, and managing stress. 

Limits of Video Games as a Mood Booster

Video games stop being good for you when you play an excessive amount. More than 10 hours per week is considered “excessive.” In these cases, you may:

• Have anxious feelings
• Be unable to sleep
• Not want to be in social settings

Another troubling sign is using video games to escape real life. As noted above, this type of behavior can lead to video game addiction, which then leads to other negative behaviors. Too much gaming can become a problem, but in moderation, it can do great things for your mental health.

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10 Ways Video Games Help Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

If you thought video games were just a way to pass the time or a fun distraction, think again! In fact, video games can be an incredibly effective tool for improving your problem-solving skills, and we’ve got the top 10 ways mapped out for you right here.

From improving your strategic thinking and memory to boosting creativity and decision-making abilities, we’ll explore how gaming can sharpen your mind in ways you never thought possible. Whether you’re a die-hard gamer or a casual player, our list of games and techniques will help you acquire the skills and mindset to tackle real-world challenges with greater ease and confidence. So, get ready to level up your brainpower as we delve into the fascinating world of how video games can enhance your problem-solving abilities. Let’s do this!

Teaching Resource Management

Many games require players to manage resources, such as time, equipment, or virtual currency. This can help players develop skills in strategic planning and decision making, which are key aspects of problem-solving.

Improving Adaptability

Video games often introduce new challenges and change the rules as the game progresses. This can help players improve their adaptability, an important skill for problem-solving, as it requires being able to adjust one's approach based on new information or changing circumstances.

Improving Multitasking Skills

Fast-paced video games often require players to track and respond to several events at once. This helps players improve their multitasking abilities, which are a key aspect of problem-solving in many real-world situations.

Developing Spatial Reasoning

Many games involve navigating through complex environments, which can help improve spatial reasoning. This ability to understand and reason about spatial relationships is crucial in problem-solving and can be particularly useful in fields like engineering, architecture, and mathematics.

Building Persistence

Video games often involve challenging problems that cannot be solved on the first attempt. This helps players build persistence and resilience, as they must keep trying different approaches until they find a solution.

Enhancing Logical Thinking

Many video games, such as strategy and puzzle games, require players to think logically and make strategic decisions to solve problems. These games can strengthen logical thinking skills, as players often have to analyze situations, experiment with potential solutions, and observe the consequences of their actions.

Training in Strategy and Forward Planning

Strategy games require players to plan several moves ahead, taking into account possible outcomes and responses from opponents. This kind of forward planning and strategic thinking is crucial in problem-solving, and practicing it in game scenarios can help improve these skills.

Promoting Teamwork and Collaboration

Multiplayer games encourage players to work together to solve complex challenges. This can help improve collaborative problem-solving skills, as players must communicate effectively, coordinate their efforts, and negotiate roles and responsibilities.

Promoting Creativity

Games, especially open-ended ones, often allow for multiple paths to success. This promotes creativity, encouraging players to think outside the box and come up with novel solutions to problems.

Enhancing Pattern Recognition

Video games often involve identifying patterns and using that knowledge to solve problems. By playing these games, individuals can enhance their pattern recognition skills, which are crucial for problem-solving in many scientific and mathematical contexts.

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Video games encourage the development of problem-solving skills

Video games today have ceased to be simple hobbies and have become powerful tools that can help people develop cognitive skills and solve problems effectively. This evolution is due to the complexity and diversity of the challenges presented in modern video games.

First, video games encourage problem solving by requiring players to find creative solutions to overcome obstacles within the game. Whether facing puzzles, combat strategies, or logic challenges, players must think quickly and make informed decisions to advance through the game.

Additionally, many video games foster strategic thinking and long-term planning, as players must consider the consequences of their actions and make decisions that will affect the outcome of the game. These skills transfer effectively to real-life situations, where effective decision making is crucial.

Video games encourage the development of problem-solving skills. We’ll explore how video games can be a valuable tool in improving our problem-solving skills, how this translates into tangible benefits in everyday life, and what video games Kidmons offers to foster these skills.

The importance of encouraging problem solving

Problem-solving skills are essential in childhood, and playing has an important role in their development. Through games, such as puzzles, construction games, and role-playing, children learn to identify challenges, analyze options, and find solutions. These experiences not only foster creativity and decision making, but also promote persistence and self-confidence in problem solving. These skills are essential for meeting academic and social challenges as children grow. In addition, playing games creates a safe environment to make mistakes and learn from them, which contributes to comprehensive development and greater adaptability in adult life.

Video games encourage the development of problem-solving skills in children in several ways:

They stimulate critical thinking: Many video games require children to analyze complex situations and make informed decisions to advance in the game. This promotes the ability to evaluate different options and their consequences.

Develop creativity: When faced with in-game challenges, children often must come up with creative solutions. This stimulates their creativity and teaches them to expand their perspectives.

Develop planning skills: Strategy, construction and simulation games require children to plan their actions in the short and long term. This helps them understand the importance of planning in problem solving.

Encourage persistence: In video games, children often face difficult obstacles. Persistence is key to overcoming these challenges, which teaches them not to give up in the face of real problems.

Improve decision making: Games often p resent ethical and moral dilemmas that require children to make difficult decisions . This helps them develop ethical and rational decision-making skills.

In summary, well-selected and supervised video games can be effective tools for improving problem-solving skills in children, as long as they are used in moderation and in conjunction with other educational and social activities.

Types of video games that encourage problem-solving skills

There are several types of video games that can be especially effective in improving children’s problem-solving skills. These include:

Puzzles and logic games: Games like chess, Sudoku, Tetris or puzzle games in general require children to analyze patterns, find solutions and plan strategies . At Kidmons we offer games like Puzzle for Kids: Safari or Simon Memorize that are, in addition to being fun, educational.

Adventure and exploration games: Titles like “The Legend of Zelda” or “Minecraft” encourage problem solving as children must discover routes, invent solutions to survive, and complete missions. Try Labyrinth Adventures at Kidmons!

Building games: Games like “LEGO Worlds” allow children to design and build their own worlds, stimulating creativity and problem solving related to engineering and design.

Real-time strategy (RTS) games: Require strategic planning, resource management and quick decision making, which improves problem-solving skills and long-term planning.

Mystery-solving games: Games like “Professor Layton” or “Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney” require children to investigate and solve cases, which improves their deductive and problem-solving skills.

Physics games: Games like the famous “Angry Birds” challenge children to understand physics and mechanics concepts to overcome obstacles.

Simulation games: Games like “SimCity” challenge children to manage resources and make decisions to build and maintain a city, which encourages management and problem-solving skills.

Role-playing games (RPG): Video games encourage the development of problem-solving skills in role-playing games as well. Children must make decisions that affect the plot and its characters, which develops decision-making and critical thinking skills.

A simple game offered by Kidmons is Kitten Carer , where the child must take on the role of pet caretaker. This game offers benefits by allowing children to take on the role of a virtual pet sitter. It encourages empathy, responsibility, and organization as you care for and feed the virtual kitten . It also teaches the importance of animal care and develops decision-making skills when facing care situations.

When choosing video games for children, it is important to find a balance between entertainment and learning, and monitor their screen time to ensure healthy and balanced development.

In short, video games encourage the development of problem-solving skills. The problem-solving skills acquired through play in childhood are essential for the comprehensive development of children. These skills not only help them overcome academic and social challenges as they grow, but also give them valuable tools to deal with real-life situations effectively. Play encourages creativity, critical thinking, decision making, and persistence, critical skills that last a lifetime. By providing a safe environment to practice problem-solving, play prepares children for a more resilient and successful future.

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Well-designed video games can enhance problem-solving skills and make learning more effective.

• May 29, 2013
• Community Engagement

The tragic December deaths of 20 first-graders and six school staff members in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, along with the Boston Marathon tragedy and other recent attacks, have brought the decades-old debate over the behavioral effects of video games back onto legislative floors throughout the nation. Citing the fact that gunman Adam Lanza, 20, played violent video games, members of the U.S. Congressional Gun Violence Prevention Task Force detailed their plans to address “our culture’s glorification of violence” through media, and commentary stemming from reports like Katie Couric’s May 2013 video game violence exposé has highlighted the need for greater clarification of how we should read and interpret video game research.

Clearly, it’s a complex and emotional issue further complicated by discussions that focus almost exclusively on the negative effects of gaming. The reality, however, is that there’s little research outlining whether or not violent video games beget actual violence: many existing studies, like one described in a recent edition of the UConn Today , focus on aggression without explicitly acknowledging the complex relationship between cognition, transfer, and real world behavior. This has led to two major problems, the combination of which throws a wrench in the socially and politically-charged rhetoric surrounding violence: 1) the dismissal of other, more influential factors common to violent criminals—biological predisposition to mental health issues, instability at home and/or work, lack of positive role models, having no one to confide in, access to weapons, and in-the-moment opportunity versus need; and 2) neglect for how learning in all types of games—violent or not—actually happens.

While the first problem may better fit sociologists and psychologists who have direct experience with individuals who commit violent crimes, the second is something that we as teachers, administrators, and researchers can tackle head on. There’s general consensus in the educational psychology community that the nature of environment-learner-content interactions is vital to our understanding of how people perceive and act. As a result, we can’t make broad assumptions about games as a vehicle for violent behavior without attending to how environment-learner-content interactions influence transfer—the way learning and action in one context affects learning and action in a related context.

It might help to think of transfer in terms of what we hope students will do with the information they learn in our classes. For example, you might teach geometric principles in your math class thinking that those techniques will help your students craft a birdhouse in shop. However, one of the most well-cited studies of the subject (Gick & Holyoak, 1980) showed that only one-fifth of college students were able to apply a particular problem solving strategy—using ‘divide-and-conquer’ to capture a castle—in another, almost identical context less than 24 hours after exposure to the first. Even with explicit direct instruction explaining how the same strategy could be used to solve both problems, fewer than 50% of students were able to make the connection. Though links between situations might seem self-evident to us as teachers, they usually aren’t as obvious to our students as we think they should be.

This gives us reason to believe that, regardless of subject, students—or in the case of video games, players—are rarely able to take something they’ve used in one context and independently apply it in a totally different one. Put another way, even if violent gaming raises general aggression, increased aggression doesn’t automatically translate to real world violent behavior . Gamers might use more curse words while playing Call of Duty , but they won’t learn to steal a car solely by playing Grand Theft Auto —there needs to be a mediating instructor who can provide well-guided bridging between the game and reality, especially for in-game activities that aren’t isomorphic with real world action (i.e., firing a gun).

This relationship between environment-learner-content interaction and transfer puts teachers in the unique position to capitalize on game engagement to promote reflection that positively shapes how students tackle real-world challenges. To some, this may seem like a shocking concept, but it’s definitely not a new one—roleplay as instruction, for example, was very popular among the ancient Greeks and, in many ways, served as the backbone for Plato’s renowned Allegory of the Cave . The same is true of Shakespeare’s works, 18th and 19th century opera, and many of the novels, movies, and other media that define our culture. More recently, NASA has applied game-like simulations to teach astronauts how to maneuver through space, medical schools have used them to teach robotic surgery, and the Federal Aviation Administration has employed them to test pilots.

To be clear, this is not a call for K12 educators to drop everything and immediately incorporate violent games like Doom or Mortal Kombat into their classrooms. Instead, it’s a call to consider how we can take advantage of game affordances (including those of violent games) to extend beyond predictable multiple-choice materials that leave students wishing they could pull out their smartphones. It’s a call for legislators to give greater consideration to the role of transfer before passing sweeping bans on violent video game play. It’s a call for all of us to use games as a vehicle to talk about racial, social, gender, and other inequities that are very much a part of the world we live in.

It’s a bold idea that can feel scary, but the potential benefits are beyond exciting. Research generated by people like Kurt Squire, Sasha Barab, and James Paul Gee suggests that interactive games can be used to teach children about history, increase vocabulary, challenge them to set and achieve goals, and enhance their ability to work in teams. They expose students to culturally diverse casts of characters in addition to providing instant feedback about goal-oriented progress. Most importantly, perhaps, they can be powerfully engaging, giving students a reason to pursue learning beyond the classroom.

To maintain a positive trajectory, teachers looking to make the most of the instructional affordances of video games should keep an eye out for games they feel comfortable playing alongside and discussing with their students, take advantage of opportunities to participate in university game-based learning research studies, and remain open to modifying their instructional approaches. Parents should connect with teachers for up-to-date research coming from organizations like Games+Learning+Society and have their children reflect on material they’ve been exposed to during play—for example, social and cultural stereotypes, gender roles, and ways of thinking presented in each game. Legislators should consult university researchers in both communications and educational psychology to get a wider perspective on how play and learning merge to generate behavior in the real world.

Our collective understanding of game-based learning is evolving at lightning speed, and we need to dispel false information that ignores how games actually affect player thinking and action. More work, involving teachers, administrators, researchers, designers, parents, and politicians, is needed. The next step is to enhance our collaboration by working to create multi-disciplinary games that incorporate not just academic content but educational practices that lead to broader critical thinking and problem solving. Though far from complete, our combined effort has the potential to move beyond the swamp of video game violence and excite kids about school before they say “game over.”

Stephen Slota is doctoral candidate in educational psychology at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education as well as an unashamed gamer. An educational technology specialist and  former urban high school teacher, he has a bachelor’s in molecular and cellular biology and Master’s in curriculum and instruction. His research interests include the situated cognition underlying play, the effects of gaming on student achievement, and prosocial learning through massively multiplayer online role-playing games ( MMORPGs).

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredits the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. Read more about CAEP Accreditation, including the programs covered and the accountability measures .

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6 surprising benefits of video games for kids

By Gail Belsky

Expert reviewed by Jodi Gold, MD

At a glance

While there are downsides to playing video games, there are also surprising benefits.

Video games can help kids build skills and make social connections.

Kids who play video games are often very creative.

There are clear watch-outs for families when kids play video games. Some kids have trouble shutting down or transitioning off games . Others have mood swings during or after playing, or become hyperfocused . And there are kids who are totally consumed by games. However, there are some upsides, too.

Here are six surprising benefits of playing video games.

Studies show that kids who play video games may get a small boost to their reading skills. This is true even for kids who struggle with reading, and even when playing action games.

Researchers think that this may happen because kids need to figure out text instructions to play. There’s also a fun factor. Kids who are reluctant to open a traditional book may rush to read a website or internet forum to get the latest on their favorite game.

That doesn’t mean video games should replace books, though.

2. Visual-spatial skills

Many games — like Minecraft  — are set in 3D virtual worlds that kids have to navigate. And there’s no GPS or smartphone map app to lead the way.

The result is that kids who play these games have the chance to practice their visual-spatial skills . This can lead to a better understanding of distance and space.

Hear an expert’s tips for helping kids maximize learning from popular video games

3. Problem-solving

At the heart of every video game is a challenge. Some games can be mindless, like Space Invaders. But many others — from puzzles and mysteries, to managing virtual cities or empires — offer kids the chance to take on a problem and work to find a solution.

Some researchers say kids who play these video games improve in three areas: planning, organization, and flexible thinking . But don’t get too excited about this. It’s not clear that these gaming problem-solving skills carry over into daily life. And there’s no evidence that so-called “train the brain” games  can improve real-world skills.

4. Social connections

Some kids have trouble fitting in and making friends in real life. Video games can be a refuge for them to find people to connect with in positive way. In our busy lives, games offer virtual playdates with real-life friends.

Video games also give kids something to talk about at school. These days, games are a mainstream topic of conversation for kids, just like sports and music. An interest in gaming can help kids who have trouble coming up with topics to discuss.

On the flip side, kids who struggle socially in real life  may also have trouble online. Learn how this can play out in multiplayer online video games .

5. Imaginative play and creativity

When kids are young, there’s a lot of space for imaginative play, from LEGOs to dolls to make-believe. But for tweens and teens, society sometimes frowns on that play. Video games give kids a chance to continue imaginative play.

There’s also some evidence that games encourage creative thinking. In one study, 12-year-old gamers were asked to draw, tell stories, ask questions, and make predictions. All the kids showed high levels of creativity and curiosity.

6. Video gaming careers

The 16-year-old winner of the first Fortnite World Cup won $3 million. The other 99 solo finalists won anywhere from $50,000 to $1.8 million each.

Just as with professional sports, the chances of becoming a professional video gamer are very small. However, the video gaming industry is growing by leaps and bounds, much faster than traditional sports and entertainment.

There are lots of careers in this growing industry — careers like coding, marketing, or running events.

Those are some of the potential benefits of video games. Now learn how to choose video games and apps for your child .

Key takeaways

Video games give older kids a chance to continue imaginative play.

Kids can get extra reading practice through video games.

The gaming industry is growing, and your child’s interest could spark a career.

Explore related topics

Video games offer a deep learning experience

A well recognised benefit of video games is no doubt the cognitive development that games induce in their players. Games offer a deep learning experience and train exactly the skills employers are looking for . The opportunities to develop games that are specifically training these skills are endless!

Playing video games is often perceived as a lazy form of entertainment and concerned parents often want their children to be playing outside instead of playing so-called addictive games. Video games actually promote a wide range of cognitive skills. If we can identify which games are best at developing these skills, then we can use these in the overall cognitive  development and education of our children and young people.

How does video games improve problem-solving skills?

Video games improve problem-solving skills by providing opportunities for players to solve increasingly complicated problems and make strategic decisions. The time pressure in many games also helps develop speed and decision-making skills. Studies have shown that playing video games can also increase creativity in young people.

How video games help with problem-solving skills?

Video games improve problem-solving skills because they allow players to try out different solutions to figure out what works. This trial-and-error approach helps develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

How do video games improve your decision-making skills?

Playing video games can enhance critical thinking, decision-making, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving skills. Gaming requires the brain to process large amounts of information, react quickly, and make strategic decisions, which can translate to real-world skills.

How do video games help you develop skills?

Video games have been shown to improve powers of concentration, creativity, memory, language, and teamwork. They can make it easier to learn educational content and develop cognitive skills.

How can problem-solving skills be improved?

• Identity and understand the right problem.
• Research the systems and practices behind the problem.
• Visualize the problem.
• Brainstorm creative solutions.
• Identify the best answer.

10 Secret Reasons Why Playing Video Games Is Good For Your Brain

There is no specific content available for this question.

What are problem-solving games?

Problem-solving games are activities that require players to use critical thinking skills to solve puzzles. Examples include escape rooms, Sudoku, and murder mysteries. These exercises can sharpen reasoning and decision-making skills in group settings and promote team building.

What is the best skill for problem-solving?

• Communication
• Emotional intelligence
• Adaptability

What skills do gaming improve?

• Risk-Taking
• Patience and Perseverance
• Problem-Solving
• Strategizing
• Concentration
• Social Skills
• Critical Thinking

Do video games improve strategy and leadership?

Gamification can be an excellent strategy for improving leadership skills. Playing existing games or creating a gamified experience for prospective leaders can help them learn better and develop strategic thinking and leadership abilities.

How can video games improve social skills?

Video games can act as an important teaching tool in developing social skills. They can help develop cooperation and teamwork as players have the option to work together to form alliances and create teams working cooperatively.

Do video games improve thinking skills?

A recent study shows video games can help teens learn cognitive skills, multi-tasking, and problem-solving. Gaming can improve mental skills such as problem solving, logical thinking, and pattern recognition.

Can video games improve critical thinking?

Video games can boost cognitive abilities needed for critical thinking. They can stimulate the brain and help develop skills in examining information rationally and making logical judgments based on analysis.

Do video games help with strategic thinking?

Playing certain well-designed video games can improve strategic thinking and make the brain more agile. They can enhance proficiency at skills such as task switching and multitasking.

How video games can help to improve problem-solving and creativity?

Video games encourage problem solving by requiring players to find creative solutions to overcome obstacles within the game. They also develop critical thinking and analytical skills through trial and error methods.

How do video games help kids problem solve?

Playing video games can improve kids’ problem-solving skills by requiring them to solve puzzles, overcome obstacles, and make decisions that affect the game’s outcome. This helps develop critical thinking and analytical abilities.

Can computer games improve problem-solving skills?

Computer games can improve problem-solving skills by requiring players to process and manipulate information in different ways. Games like puzzle games can develop logical thinking and pattern recognition, while adventure games can enhance imagination and storytelling skills.

How does video games improve multitasking?

Playing video games can improve multitasking skills by training the brain to switch between tasks quickly and efficiently. Gamers often have quicker reaction times and can switch from task to task faster than non-gamers.

Does games improve productivity?

When developed with a purpose, games can create a better work environment, increase employee satisfaction, and boost productivity. They can enhance skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.

Will video games make us smarter?

Playing certain video games can enhance cognitive abilities and improve skills like multitasking and problem-solving. However, not all video games are designed to improve cognitive abilities.

Does gaming improve knowledge?

Playing video games can enhance knowledge and skills such as literacy, creativity, communication, and spatial reasoning. Well-designed games can provide opportunities for learning and intellectual growth.

Can video games improve communication?

Playing video games can boost universally desired skills such as literacy, creativity, and communication. Video games provide opportunities for players to develop skills in communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.

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Play These 6 Video Games to Help Improve Your Problem-Solving Skills

Jane McGonigal , a world-renowned designer of alternate reality games who has a PhD in performance studies, wants to change people's conception of video games as "just escapist, guilty pleasures".

"My number one goal in life is to see a game designer nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize," McGonigal writes on her website . She tells Business Insider she wants people to realise that games can be "powerful tools to improve our attention, our mood, our cognitive strengths, and our relationships." And research is on her side. 

Studies suggest that mainstream games like Call of Duty may improve our cognitive abilities significantly more than games specifically designed to do so by designers like Luminosity.

To help spread the truth about common misconceptions, seven neuroscientists from around the world signed the document A Consensus on the Brain Training Industry from the Scientific Community in 2014 to say they "object to the claim" that brain teaser games can improve cognitive abilities, as no scientific evidence has been able to confirm such a claim. 

Even better for gamers, research from North Carolina State University and Florida State University suggests that mainstream games geared toward entertainment can help improve attention, spatial orientation, and problem solving abilities.

In her book, Super Better, McGonigal writes that the researchers she talked to about this seeming contradiction offered a simple explanation: "Traditional video games are more complex and harder to master, and they require that the player learn a wider and more challenging range of skills and abilities."

If you want to have fun and stimulate your mind, McGonigal recommends playing one of these six games three times a week for about 20 minutes. 

McGonigal says playing fast-paced games like Call of Duty, a first-person shooter game, can help improve visual attention and spatial intelligence skills, which can lead to better performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Another fast-paced game, Forza , a car racing game, may help improve your ability to make accurate decisions under pressure.

Taking on the role of a criminal in a big city in Grand Theft Auto may help train you to process information faster and keep track of more information - up to three times the amount as non-gamers, some studies suggest - in high stress situations.

Strategic games like StarCraft, a military science fiction game, can also improve the ability to solve imaginary and real-life problems, possibly because they teach users to both formulate and execute strategic plans.

Games that require strategic thinking, like science fiction third-person shooter game, Mass Effect , also test and refine your information-gathering skills.

Lastly, 'thinking games' like Final Fantasy , a fantasy role-playing game, can help train you to evaluate your options faster and more accurately.

This article was originally published by  Business Insider .

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TechBullion

Experts say playing video games makes you successful – here’s how.

Once seen merely as entertainment, video games have been recently gaining recognition as a pathway to success, reshaping traditional views on gaming. Experts and studies are increasingly highlighting how gaming develops critical cognitive, social, and professional skills. 

Experts at MPL talked to us to provide their insight on the significant role video games play in cultivating attributes essential for success in various fields.

Positive Impact of Video Games

Problem-solving abilities.

Video games are highly effective at enhancing problem-solving abilities by immersing you in environments that require quick decision-making. Many games demand you to analyze situations, formulate plans, and adapt your strategies in real-time. 

One study, published in Science Direct, found that playing video games can improve a person’s ability to process information quickly and make accurate decisions. Consequently, the interactive and mentally stimulating aspects of video games make them valuable tools for improving problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging way.

Increased Cognitive Skills

Video games have been shown by researchers to significantly increase cognitive skills, offering a unique and engaging way to enhance mental abilities. Games often require multitasking, memory retention, and spatial awareness, which contribute to improved cognitive functions. 

Additionally, many video games involve puzzles and challenges that stimulate the brain, fostering creativity and enhancing learning capabilities. As a result, the immersive and interactive nature of gaming serves not just as entertainment but as a powerful tool for cognitive development.

Strategic Thinking

Increased strategic thinking is another positive impact from playing video games. Whether it’s leading virtual armies in real-time strategy games or solving complex puzzles in adventurous quests, you often have to devise and execute effective strategies to achieve your objectives. 

This constant engagement with strategic challenges cultivates abilities in resource allocation and decision prioritization. The interactive nature of gaming encourages adaptive thinking and innovation, providing players with opportunities to refine your strategic abilities through trial and error. 

Transferable Skills

Playing video games cultivates teamwork as you collaborate to achieve objectives, strategize in multiplayer settings, and coordinate efforts in cooperative missions. This experience fosters effective communication and the ability to work towards shared goals. 

These skills in teamwork are highly transferable to real-world environments, enhancing collaboration and leadership abilities beyond gaming.

Perseverance

Engaging with video games nurtures perseverance by immersing you in environments where overcoming obstacles requires persistence and determination. Whether facing formidable opponents, solving intricate puzzles, or mastering complex levels, you develop resilience as you strive to succeed, empowering you to tackle challenges with resilience and tenacity in diverse real-world scenarios.

Adaptability

The interactive nature of video games cultivates adaptability by exposing you to ever-evolving scenarios and dynamic challenges that demand swift adjustments and innovative solutions. From mastering new game mechanics to navigating unpredictable virtual environments, you develop the ability to think on your feet and adapt your strategies to changing circumstances.

This adaptability can help you navigate complexities and thrive in diverse real-world settings with agility.

According to the experts at MPL, “Video games offer far more than entertainment. They’re transformative tools that develop critical skills essential for success across diverse fields, so start gaming!”

Mobile Premier League (MPL) is a popular gaming platform in the US, offering a variety of games across categories like card games and casual games. Players can compete in these games to earn real money through cash tournaments and battles. The platform ensures a secure and fair gaming experience with robust security measures and transparent policies. MPL supports multiple payment options for deposits and withdrawals, including Apple Pay, PayPal, and bank transfers. The app is available for download on mobile devices, allowing players to enjoy games and win cash prizes conveniently.

Methodology

The information regarding gaming and increased cognitive function was gathered from the National Institutes of Health .

Information on video games improving problem-solving from Science Direct .

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These 31 People Make Over $150k A Year At Work, And They've Reeeaaaallyyyy Got Me Questioning My Life Choices

"Anybody with problem-solving and comprehension skills can do what I do."

BuzzFeed Staff

Reddit user Iliketrainsz1 asked the AskReddit Community, "For the ones who make over $150k a year, what do you do to get that?" Ahh, inflation has hit everything — even Reddit. I remember when that question circulated with $100k as the standard, not $150k. Luckily, many folks were still able to fill the thread with useful, interesting answers. Here's what people shared:

1. "i do transport for a mortuary in the san francisco bay area (picking up dead bodies). my base pay is about $80k, but i get plenty of extra hours and overtime because i'm pretty much the only one who volunteers to do the socal and out-of-state trips (we will only go as far as nevada, arizona, oregon, and the border towns of mexico). with all the overtime, i easily make $150k+.".

— u/Jack_Torrance80

2. "Slot game mathematician. You know how they say the games are rigged? I'm the guy who rigs them from math scratch work to the code that runs it."

— u/Trickishwheat8

3. "I'm chiming in because I think most people would be surprised to learn this. I work an entry-level job at a luxury designer boutique. Not all boutiques pay generously, but you learn which ones are at the top in the retail community. It comes with a lot of emotional stress (almost never from clients), so I don't think I'll last much longer in this industry. But, it is difficult to leave when you have a skill set that is so specific that you couldn't possibly leave for a similar-paying industry."

— u/Ok-Peanut-6037

4. "Believe it or not, I'm a freelance musician. More specifically, I am a composer, conductor, and pianist. I have a graduate degree in music, but I'm not employed full-time by anyone other than myself. I work in multiple genres but specialize in writing for musical theatre and orchestras. My wife is also an in-demand freelance musician. Together, we gross about $300k/year. We're certainly not famous, but we've worked with many famous people over the years. But those aren't the high-paying gigs."

5. "Ship captain, $250k-ish for about 180 days of work."

— u/Attitudde_Doll

"You have two paths in the US, a four-year school where you leave with a mid-level Mate license (which usually includes lower-level captain licenses) and start a cushy $80—$100k+ job that's basically just doing what the captain tells you to do. Or, you can work your way up from an entry-level Stewards license, which will require about five or more years of actual documented days on the water working, multiple classes and training, etc. I have an Able seaman license (basically a deckhand) from working on tugboats in Alaska and cleared $80k a year. It's shift work, though. Some jobs are seasonal. I worked seven or eight months straight in AK and lived on the boats. Or you can do 30, 60, or 90-day hitches; it varies."

6. "Lawyer here, making $520—$550K ($390K base salary and $130—$160K in bonuses). My pay is very standard for a lawyer at a large corporate firm, as 'BigLaw' lawyers are paid in lockstep for the first seven to eight years. I have five years of experience, and essentially, every other sixth-year lawyer at a large firm in a major US city makes the same amount I do. It takes way longer than I’d like, but it’s exciting and pays well."

— u/honesttickonastick

7. "I sell websites to small businesses. I have a whole agency with SEO guys, developers, and designers. I sell $150/month subscriptions for a website and unlimited edits. I have about 85 clients in various packages; the rest are lump sum jobs for $3,500 minimum. I'm currently on track to make $180k this year. There is no WordPress, either. All custom-coded. It's a nice living."

— u/Citrous_Oyster

8. "Airline Pilot. I make $230k (year two at a major airline). Senior pilots are making $400k—$600k. A rare few senior guys who work a lot make upwards of a million a year. Great benefits. If I lose my medical or become disabled, I get half of my basic annual pay until age 65 to sit at home and do nothing. I get $800k in life insurance. Great healthcare and travel benefits. It takes about three or four years, plus maybe $100k—$150k in training costs, to get to something like a regional airline. Then, you do another one to two years there and get to a major. However, that plan or trajectory can completely change as the economics of air travel change. It wasn't nice after 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, or COVID. Now, there are hiring stoppages because of issues with Boeing and Airbus aircraft and engine supply."

— u/aviatortrevor

9. "I made about $450,000 last year. I am a nuclear consultant (PhD) who provides safety and security advice to countries (usually governments and international organizations) on their nuclear programs and/or radiological issues/problems. Also, I do real estate on the side."

— u/erickellan

10. "I'm a food scientist at a consumer packaged goods facility. I make the recipes for food products on the grocery store shelves and ensure they're safe. I travel to a lot of manufacturers to make sure things run smoothly. I broke $100k at 25 years old. I live in a high-cost area, so keep that in mind. It's common for directors/managers to make $120k—$160k, depending on their experience. I also think it's a great career path. I only have a Bachelor's degree and never had to worry about grad school or anything like that unless I wanted to. It has similar coursework to most STEM majors in undergrad but throws in some additional culinary classes, which I loved."

— u/Foodiethrowaway2773

11. "I'm a franchisee of one very popular fast food joint. It was my first job, and I started at 17. I worked my way from fry cook to GM over the first five years, working 45 hours/week. I had the chance to partner with the owner and have loved it every step of the way. It's truly not for everyone, but the financial stability is amazing. I earn $225k—$300k annually, putting in a good 50-55 hours/week. I only plan on going this pace for another five to seven years before I start to really mellow out. I started with just me and now have my wife and kids, so the perspective of how wild and unmaintainable this lifestyle is has set in pretty firmly. I am just blessed to have an amazing owner who truly shows passion in helping the business and all its parts grow the right way."

— u/iDurtyDan

12. "I went back to school at 27 for electrical engineering. After I graduated, I felt like I had the momentum to keep going, so I got my Master's. I was able to land three different internships starting around my junior year, which helped me gain some experience in the field. I graduated at 34 and landed a job at Apple. Been here ever since."

13. "I'm a cybersecurity engineer. I specialize in cloud security and security architecture. I was a web developer beforehand. I kind of failed upwards to a full-stack engineering position, then jumped over to security to be a DevOps engineer for a security engineering team that was starting a new practice within an established MSP. Since then, the role has expanded significantly, as has the scale of the systems I've built. I'm really proud of where I'm at and what's to come in the future. I don't have my Bachelor's degree, but I did three years at an elite American university as a data science major before I got burnt out. So, I'm educated, just not credentialed. However, I will soon obtain my CISSP, the gold standard for cybersecurity leadership. I may pursue a Bachelor's later on at a place like WGU. We'll see."

— u/bizzygreenthumb

14. "Orthopedic surgeon. While training, I made big sacrifices socially/traveling/with my income during my 20s and early 30s. I'm 36, just starting my third year of practice, and make $840k straight salary. I probably work about 55 hours a week. It's incredibly rewarding but also very stressful."

— u/CrzyJoeDavola

15. "Real-time operations on the power grid (I'm a reliability coordinator). It's a desk job. I will make $300-$400k this year. No degree at all."

— u/therobshow

16. "I make TV. I'm an editor. I didn't go to school for it, but it took a lot of working my way up, being broke, and learning when I was given the opportunity. It's a very different business to grow in since COVID. Entertainment is a mess right now, but I usually make $150k—$190k."

— u/earic23

17. "I'm a senior project manager for an exhibit house. I specialize in permanent display installations, and traveling clown shows. My main focus is taking over projects that are falling behind and getting new projects started on the right track. I travel a fair amount and work long hours. My salary is $175k with a bonus structure that pushes me over $200k. I have 12 years of experience in this industry, all with the same company. I started here as a temp laborer making pallets. My five-year plan is to become a director and work to mitigate the need for my current position."

— u/istinkatgolf

18. "Commercial real estate. I worked 70-hour weeks for the first two years while bartending to pay the bills, built my network, closed a huge deal in year three, and took half the commission to purchase my first multifamily property. I leveraged that property to buy and rehab seven others over the next eight years. I now own 432 units and just started a property management company this year to run them."

— u/MeepMeeps88

19. "I will be making almost right at $150k this year. I work in oil and gas in Colorado. My job is to make sure the oil and gas are coming out of the ground as efficiently and safely as possible while also making sure we are complying with state and federal regulations. I'm as close to the well as you can get (besides drilling it). My schedule is eight days on and six days off. During those eight days, I worked between 80 and 100 hours. Sometimes, I work on a few days off, which is all OT."

— u/wetworm1

20. "Anesthesiologist. I work part-time and split the job with another like-minded doctor. No holidays or weekends. I earn about $240k plus full-time benefits. I work about 100 hours a month. I could make a lot more taking calls or working more days, but I don't live large, don't need the money, and prefer the time off with family. I know many in my profession who make two or three times more than I do and are miserable. I never really bought into the flashy lifestyle; I save a ton, my only splurge is our mortgage (which is a steal compared to current housing prices), and my family is content."

— u/Ok_Count2688

21. "I work in IT for the government. I started as tier-two help desk support with no degree like 20 years ago for a semiconductor company. I was laid off twice in seven years. Now, I do senior IT asset management stuff and some project management if necessary. $150k+, and I take no work home with me. I work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and then I'm done for the day. It's not glamorous, but I like to share my story to give people without a degree hope. I've obviously been pretty lucky, but I don't think you need to be stuck doing a $50k help desk job. Find a niche that you can fill or use whatever skills you already have to sell yourself."

"I had a pretty solid background in customer service (big box middle management), so I used that to my advantage. I clarified that I might not be the most technical person in the bunch, but I definitely will have the best customer service/rapport. I have made a career as the bridge between IT and non-IT staff. Taking overcomplicated IT explanations and simplifying it the best I can. Anybody with problem-solving and comprehension skills can do what I do."

22. "Retail pharmacist. You can come out making six figures after six to eight years of college. There's not a lot of salary growth unless you get into management, but you can probably afford to pay off your student loans while living comfortably. It can be very rewarding for those who are personally invested in helping patients and/or achieving business goals, but there are just as many who clock in, clock out, and then live their lives."

— u/marissadev

23. "I'm a respiratory therapist living in the Bay Area. It pays well here, but the cost of living is unbelievable. I made about $190k last year, but that was with a lot of overtime. Working 40 hours a week, I make about $160k. Other areas of the country don't pay as well. I'm probably on the higher end of the pay scale. I also get excellent benefits and a pension."

— u/hammyburgler

24. "I'm a CPA working as an accounting manager for a mid-sized apparel company. I just broke $150k this year. I negotiated a $30k raise since we are implementing a new ERP system, which will involve a lot of complexities. I've been at the same company since March 2016, after college. I started at $50k."

25. "Lawyer (USA). Undistinguished academic record from an undistinguished law school. It took me a while to get my first legal job, which I still have. Started at $65k. I'm about to start my fourth year at $150k. Strictly WFH, no billable requirement, generally very easy and low-stress. Occasionally, I get to help people. I can't complain! By the standards of the profession, I am not paid well. It's a fine living by the profession's standards in my geographic area. By my standards, I grew up pretty poor in a rural area. I am doing just dandy. The real question is: Do I try to job-hop to increase my salary (and possibly find more stimulating work, too), or do I just look in the mirror every morning and say, 'Bro, we are SO lucky!' and use my copious free time for other things?'"

— u/daxelkurtz

26. "Oral and maxillofacial surgeon. I do extractions, implants, jaw corrective surgery, trauma, facial infections, etc. My favorite part, which makes me feel amazing about my work, is the heroic feeling of turning a nightmarish fear into something relatively painless and pleasant for my patients."

— u/Zestyclose-Pool5456

27. "I'm in business-to-business technical sales. I sell industrial starch to paper mills and charcoal plants. My base salary is $135k/year, and over the past five years, my bonus has ranged from $40k—$70k based on company performance. We mostly hire engineers or people with technical backgrounds for our sales roles."

28. "financial advisor/financial planner. i'm at around $250k, work about two or three hours a day, and can take any time off. i have three to four two-week vacations yearly and two other trips paid for by the firm. in many advisors ' eyes, $250k in my industry means i'm just barely out of kindergarten.".

— u/stipuledalmond

29. "I'm a sales trainer for a finance company. I had no degree and no prior experience. I have a background in the service industry and work about 45 hours a week. I started on the sales floor and worked my way into the trainer position. Honestly, being a decent communicator is rare and has value. Sales is an amazing launch pad if you want to get out of what feels like a dead-end job."

— u/sup_widdat

30. "Security director. I make just a little over $150k a year. It's remote work with an average of four or five days of business travel per month. I work 40 hours a week on average, but I do have some heavier weeks sometimes. I love what I do. It has good and bad days, like most jobs. Mostly, I attend Zoom meetings, review and create documents and presentations, advise clients, interview candidates, train teams, and occasionally dispense discipline. The best thing about my job is meeting different people, visiting different client offices nationwide, and helping others grow in their careers. The worst thing is occasionally having to be a punching bag for clients as they vent about their frustrations with my teams, company, etc. Also, I don't like occasionally having to fire someone."

— u/blackmagic999

31. And: "Software sales is the way to go! There are many work-from-home options, as most sales calls are handled via Zoom or Google Meet. I started in late 2018 in an entry position (business development rep), making about $55k—$65k. After one year, I was promoted to account executive. In my first year in that position, I made about $95k. Then $110k, then $130k, then last year, I made $160k. This year, I'm set to make $180k+. I am focused on small and medium-sized businesses. You can make a lot more as you increase customer size."

— u/InsectApprehensive66

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